


The Adventure Begins

by FanaticFangirl2602



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Gen, It's A Pirates Life For Me, Jim had no idea what he was getting into, Oneshot, Other, but it's definitely not the focus, crap ton of action and running, hints of Jlaire, may turn into a chaptered fic, serious Pirates of the Caribbean vibes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-18
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2019-05-08 10:36:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14692440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanaticFangirl2602/pseuds/FanaticFangirl2602
Summary: Jim can say, without a doubt, the past forty-eight hours have been the craziest of his life. And considering he’s running away from soldiers with two trolls by his side, it seems like it’s only going to get crazier.





	The Adventure Begins

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eclipsia (uncreativefanficwritername)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncreativefanficwritername/gifts).



> I FINALLY FREAKING FINISHED IT. FINALLY. FINALLYYYY. YES! Long ago, [Eclipsia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/uncreativefanficwritername/profile) requested an au Trollhunters oneshot, and it's finally done! And it’s LONG. Have fun reading this 4k monster. XD I’ve written the ending in a way that’ll allow me to come back to it if I ever want to. Knowing myself, there’s a decent chance this could turn into a chaptered fic sometime in the future.
> 
> Also, super big shout out and thank you to my beta, [nathvods](https://nathvods.tumblr.com)!!! <3 Seriously, THANK YOU.

Jim can say, without a doubt, the past forty-eight hours have been the craziest of his life. And considering he’s running away from soldiers with two trolls by his side, it seems like it’s only going to get crazier.

“There’s no way we’re going to make it out of here!” Toby yells from where he’s holding onto green hair, clinging to the back of the larger stone being - AAARRRGH!!! is his name, Jim remembers.

Soldiers yell behind them. Someone calls out an order. Toby yelps and presses himself flat against the troll as gunshots fill the air. The soldiers are firing on them.

Jim involuntarily ducks from the sudden danger, only to lose his balance as he crosses a particularly icy patch of road. AAARRRGH saves him from falling on his face by pinching the back of Jim’s shirt with his large, stony fingers. He doesn’t break stride as he picks Jim up with ease and tossing him onto his back next to Toby.

Jim immediately latches onto the green hair with a white knuckle grip and hunkers down, pressing himself against the large creature to make himself a smaller target. A smaller target on top of a much bigger target.

The governor’s daughter yells something. The single word is nearly drowned out by the gunfire. “There!” From down on the ground, towards Jim’s right, her gloved finger points towards building they’re approaching. Next to it... Jim understands what she’s thinking once he sees it, nearly completely hidden by shadows.

“Aha!” The blue troll running alongside her cheers, a wide grin appearing on his stone face, despite the imminent danger they’re all in. “Excellent thinking, Miss Nuñez!”

The group takes a sharp left and dives into the alleyway. Jim yelps in alarm when he sees a balcony they’re quickly approaching. Normally, a balcony is no problem. He’d walk under it and probably wouldn’t even notice it was there. Being on the back of a freakishly large troll changes things.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no-!”

The last of Toby’s cries get cut off by Jim’s terrified screams. Toby’s own panicked yells mix with his a second later. AAARRRGH doesn’t slow down. Part of Jim’s mind registers it’s a good thing, considering the soldiers pursuing them. Another part of his mind is scared witless, because they were going to _crash into the balcony._

At the last possible second, AAARRRGH ducks and skids. Rocks fly as the cobblestone is ripped apart by his stone limbs, and Jim feels his hair brush against the underside of the structure as they pass. The troll doesn’t miss a beat once they’ve cleared the balcony and continues running. Jim doesn’t dare to raise his head again until he’s sure they’ve cleared the balcony.

The group races out of the alley and find themselves at the top of one of the town’s main roads. Down the hill, the sea can be seen in the distance. Sparkling, gentle waves crash into ships anchored at the docks. Their destination.

The gunshots have stopped for now, but Jim can still hear the soldiers yelling. They’re not safe yet.

And to think his main concern twenty-four hours ago was having enough produce to sell.

Then he’d met the trolls.

Yesterday, when he’d been doing laundry with Toby, Jim had explained yet another one of his weird dreams. As always, it centered around a glowing amulet. He’d sketched out the object to show his friend, then set it aside to finish his tasks. When Jim had gone back for the drawing, it’d been gone. He’d assumed it’d been blown away by the wind and moved on with his day. Oh, how wrong he had been. That night, Blinky and AAARRRGH had appeared at his house, sketch in hand. They’d scared the hell out of Jim, but once he’d gotten past that, he’d gotten an explanation for his dreams. An explanation that led to him finding Tobes and embarking on a journey today. A journey that will lead them to the amulet, if it doesn’t kill them first.

“We’re not gonna make it!” Toby says, both of his hands going to his head. He pulls at his hair worriedly. “There’s too much distance between us and the docks! We’ll be caught before we’re even halfway there!”

Jim looks around. Behind them, he sees torchlight slowly getting brighter. To the right, the same thing. _They split up_ , he realizes. Toby is right. Between the distance left before them and the soldiers coming from different sides, there isn’t much of a chance they’ll make it.

He looks at his best friend and Claire, and Blinky and AAARRRGH. If the soldiers catch them, Jim and the other two teens would be thrown in cells until morning came. Claire is a governor’s daughter. If her parents play the right cards, she can probably escape without horrid consequences. He doesn’t know what fate would claim the trolls. And him and Toby...

He swallows, a hand drifting up to gently rub his throat.

The wind blows hard and cold, cutting through the thin fabric of his clothing like a knife. He winces, but not just from the cold.

He’s the cause for all of this, with those stupid dreams he’s been having the past few weeks about the amulet. He’s the one who decided to pursue a myth when confronted by trolls. All the others did was help him. They don’t deserve to die for that. They don’t deserve to die for something that may or may not be real.

Jim sets his jaw. Determination races through his veins. They won’t die. _They_ won’t die. Not as long as there was something he could do about it.

But what could he do about it?

He scans the area again, ignoring how he was shivering. There must be something, anything that can help them get down to one of the ships without getting caught. A path they haven’t seen yet, a shortcut-

“I have an idea!” _An insane idea that can go horribly wrong,_ he adds silently. But it’s the only idea he has. “AAARRRGH, go forward four buildings, then turn left!”

AAARRRGH nods once and starts running down the street. On the ground beside them, Blinky waves an arm to catch the young man’s attention. “Young Jim! What’s this plan of yours?”

“There’s a road close to here,” Jim explains hurriedly. “It goes straight through town and runs over a hill. All the kids in town slide down it during the winter, when it freezes.”

Toby gasps, understanding what Jim has in mind. “Ohhh! Good thinking, Jimbo! That road goes almost straight down to the docks! We’ll just slide down!”

“And with the ice, the soldiers will be sliding everywhere!” Claire adds, grinning up at Jim and making his heart do a weird somersault. “We’ll get to my parents’ ship before they’re able to catch us!”

Blinky lets loose a hearty laugh full of glee. “Magnificent!” He cheers. “Onwards! To this hill!”

AAARRRGH leads the way with two of the three teens mounted on his back. Blinky and Claire follow close behind, sprinting to keep up with the large troll. The young woman is forced to gather the skirt of her dress up in her hands to allow herself to keep up.

Jim forces himself to tune out the sound of heavy footsteps coming from nearly all sides. He forces himself to ignore the commanding officer yells to his troops. He forces himself to not think about what will happen if they’re all caught.

Shoving his fear aside, he gives directions to AAARRRGH, telling him how far to go before turning again. Gradually, the road gets steeper and steeper. They narrowly avoid soldiers catching sight of them a few times. But if their shouts are anything to go off of, everyone hears the two stone creatures barreling through the town.

“Go right!” Jim yells.

AAARRRGH turns sharply. The boys on his back yelp as they bounce and slide. Jim legs go over the troll’s side. It’s only thanks to his death grip on AAARRRGH’s hair he doesn’t fall off completely. He pulls himself back up onto the troll’s back with a grunt, then helps Toby from where he’s dangling over AAARRRGH’s other side.

AAARRRGH comes to a stop atop the hill. Down below, the docks beckon, gentle waves lapping against the ships. It’s a beautiful view of the ocean. One that’s ruined by the soldiers swarming forth from all around.

Including on the hill they were about to go down.

“U-U-Uhh, Jim?” Toby stutters, his voice going up an octave as he looks at the danger around them. “Maybe this wasn’t the best plan. We’re going to have to go right through them!”

“Blinky and AAARRRGH are made of stone. They won’t get injured by the soldiers,” Jim replies hurriedly. At least, he hopes they won’t. Could bullets hurt trolls? “So long as we’re behind them, we have less of a chance of getting hurt.”

“But there’s still a chance?” Toby squawks in alarm, staring at Jim with wide eyes.

Jim puts a hand on his friend’s shoulder and gently squeezes, hoping to reassure Toby. Even though he himself is completely terrified. If they’re going to slide down, they have to do it soon, before the rest of the troops get too near and grab them.

“We’ll make it,” he promises firmly. And, despite the danger and the soldiers closing in on them, he finds he believes it.

Toby presses his lips together worriedly. After a moment, he nods and lets out a sharp breath. “Alright. Then let’s do this.”

Blinky turns so his backside faces away from Claire and kneels in the snow. “Miss Nuñez, if you would climb on my back, please?”

Claire glances up at the boys. At Jim’s nod and Toby’s thumbs up, she smiles slightly, then looks back at Blinky. The young woman hoists herself onto the troll’s back, her dress only giving her some trouble, and awkwardly loops her legs around front to hold on. The blue troll stands once her arms are wrapped around his thick neck.

“On three!” She yells.

Toby starts, “One!”

AAARRRGH paws the ice. “Two!”

“THREE!” Jim bellows, just as the soldiers get a clear shot of the boys and raise their guns.

As soon as the word is out of his mouth, AAARRRGH and Blinky race forward. They leap onto the frozen road and begin the slippery decent down. The soldiers below aim their weapons with shaking hands, but none of them fire. Having a pair of stone monsters hurtling at a person is a terrifying sight, especially when one can barely keep from sliding.

The first soldiers they reach scramble out of the way, screaming and tripping over themselves to avoid getting plowed over. The ones below are already frantically trying to move out of the trolls’ path.  
Jim looks over his shoulder and laughs at the sight behind them. At the top of the hill, the soldiers are staring with dropped jaws, firing forgotten. “It must be their first time seeing a troll,” Jim jokes to Toby with a grin.

Toby turns around and, once he sees what Jim’s talking about, his mouth pulls up into a wide smile. “Must be!” He agrees brightly.

After that moment, some of Jim’s fear subsides. He’s still scared, and they are still in danger. But if seeing large, magical creatures makes Arcadia’s finest react the same way he had, dumbstruck with shock and screaming in terror, maybe their little renegade group is a little more equally matched than he’s fully realized.

When they reach the bottom of the road, the three teens are laughing with exhilaration from evading capture and having the most epic sleigh ride of all time.

“That. Was. AWESOME!” Toby cheers, throwing his arms up in the air. “And way less lethal than I thought it would be!”

Claire hops off Blinky’s back while the two boys climb off AAARRRGH. “My parents’ ship is docked right over there! Come on!” She tells them, pulling her dress skirt into her hands one again and taking off running.

It only takes a few strides before the ground beneath them changes from stone to wood. Claire leads the way down to an area of the dock Jim has never ventured onto before. This area isn’t for merchant ships or public use, but for f Arcadia’s upper class. This is where they docked their private ships, to avoid heavy foot traffic and unwanted interactions. Simple farmers like Jim and stable boys like Toby aren’t welcome, unless invited.

Jim has always wanted to sail on the waves, whether it be because of trading or an invitation. He never expected to finally sail because he was searching for a mythical amulet with trolls. Nor had he expected to board such a fine ship because they were stealing it. Or, as Claire said earlier, “borrowing without permission.”

“Blinky!” Claire gains the trolls attention as they race onto her family’s ship. “Do you know how to sail?”

The troll taps his chin in thought. “I’ve read extensively about it, but have never, ah, put my knowledge to the test, to say.”

Claire races across the ship, yelling over her shoulder as she goes, “Well, you’re about to! Help me get this thing out of here! AAARRRGH, pull up the gangplank! Jim, Toby, I need you to-”

Everyone runs back and forth around deck, following Claire’s instructions to the best of their abilities. They’re lucky the governor’s family likes sailing on their own, Jim thinks at one point. The ship was grand, but not as large as some of the others docked, and it didn’t need a twenty person crew to get it moving. Two trolls, one experienced lady, and two inexperienced boys were enough to get the vessel into open waters. Thank the heavens for that.

Jim risks a glance down the dock. He can hear the soldiers’ shouts as they slide across ice, and the frustrated yelling of their commander. They don’t have much more time.

He turns his attention back to the task at hand and helps Blinky with one of the sails. Somewhere behind them, AAARRRGH and Toby are bringing in the anchor. Claire is at the wheel, giving orders and corrections, ready to steer them away from Arcadia.

They’re starting to pull out. They have the headstart. They’re really going to make it.

A bullet buries itself in the wooden mast next to Jim.

He yelps and pulls back. His gaze returns to the dock. Soldiers are in sight. They’re not close enough to board, but they’re close enough to fire at them. And firing they are.

Jim takes cover behind the thick mast, pressing his back against it. To his left, he sees Blinky and AAARRRGH futility ducking behind barrels. Toby has dropped to the deck, making himself a smaller target as he looks for shelter. “Guuuuys!” Toby shrieks shrilly as he crawls. “Someone do something!”

Jim scans the ship. What can they do?

His eyes land on AAARRRGH’s and Blinky’s poor cover.

_That’s it!_

“Blinky! AAARRRGH!” Jim shouts. “Throw the barrels at the soldiers!”

Blinky looks between the barrels and the approaching humans once. Twice. He nods in understanding. “I am on it, Mister Jim! AAARRRGH, if you would?”

Blinky holds his arms out towards the large troll. AAARRRGH picks up one of the stacked barrels and deposits it in the blue troll’s waiting arms, remaining remarkably calm despite the barrage of bullets attacking them. Blinky stumbles back a step, regains his footing, then turns towards the ship’s rail.

“HAVE AT THEE!”

Blinky chucks the barrel over the edge of the ship and sends it flying towards their enemies. Jim can’t see if his aim is true, but judging by the panicked yells and loud splashes, it’s at least a good distraction. But they only have so many barrels.

Toby gasps with realization. He sticks his head out from the alcove he’s hiding in and waves a hand at Jim to catch his friend’s attention. “We need to do something about the other ships!” He yells. “Or they’re just gonna follow us out! Do we have cannons?”

“Not very many!” Claire answers. She keeps a tight grip on the steering wheel, directing their vessel out. Her bun has come loose during all the chaos. The winter wind has it flying wildly around her head like a dark halo. “They’re below deck! I’ll line you guys up for the shots! AAARRRGH, Blinky, make sure the soldiers don’t board any ships!”

“Aye aye!” Blinky says. Next to him, AAARRRGH salutes.

Toby locks eyes with Jim and manages a small grin. “Let’s go, Jimbo! Time to sink some ships!”

The corner of Jim’s mouth pulls up into a small, crooked smile. He waits until Blinky throws his next barrel, then sprints across the ship to hatch that leads below. Toby meets him there. Jim opens the hatch, then follow Toby down once he’s in.

Toby moves out of the way as Jim jumps off the ladder and whistles appreciatively. “That’s a lot of cannon balls.”

Jim agrees with an almost awed nod of his head. A pile of the special projectiles sits next to each of the two canons on either side of the ship. It will definitely be enough to keep the soldiers from following them.

_As long as we don’t miss._

Jim turns his gaze away from the cannons and looks at Toby. “So… know how to fire a cannon?” He asks.

“Nope. You?”

“Nope.”

“Time to find out, I guess.”

They rush to the cannons on their left. Out of the port, Jim sees the soldiers on the dock splitting up. Some continue towards them, while other head towards the navy’s ships. Jim’s heart races. We have to hurry.

“Here! Help me load this!” Jim calls over to his friend.

Toby comes over to the pile of cannonballs he’s standing next to. Together, the boys lift one of the heavy balls, grunting with effort. They load the cannon, panting from the exertion as soon as the ball is in. Above them, they can hear another one of Blinky’s muffled battle cries.

“Okay, that part’s done. What else are we supposed to do?” Toby asks, looking around, like he’ll be able to find clues or instructions.

Jim shrugs hurriedly. “No idea. But this can’t go too bad, right? So long as the cannon fires outward, towards the other ships.”

Toby nods. “And doesn’t explode and sink us.”

Jim pauses what he’s doing, eyebrows scrunching together. “How would that even happen?”

Toby puts his hands up in surrender. “Don’t ask me! I’m just throwing out worst case scenarios!”

Jim doesn’t offer a reply to that.

Together, the boys load the other canon, then split. Jim takes the one on the left. Toby takes the one on the right. They glance out the port and see the other ships in plain view. Nice job, Claire, Jim silently appreciates the woman at the wheel.

“Ready?” Jim asks, looking over at his best friend.

The redhead grins. “It’s boom boom time. Count of three?”

Jim nods.

“One,” Toby starts.

“Two,” Jim continues.

“THREE!”

They fire at the same time. The canons rolls back slightly with the force of their shots. With ringing ears, Jim hurries to the small window, stumbling along the way. He braces his arms against the wall and looks out, then grins at the sight he sees.

“We did it, Tobes!” Jim cheers, laughing slightly. Whether it’s from shock or glee, he’s not sure. He pushes himself away from the window and rushes back towards one of the piles of projectiles. “C’mon, help me load them again!”

Within minutes, Arcadia’s immediate fleet is out for the count, and Claire has steered the ship out of range of the soldiers’ guns. When Jim and Toby climb back up to the deck, they’re greeted by the sight of AAARRRGH watching Blinky amusedly while the blue troll shouts taunts at the shore.

“HA HA, THAT’S RIGHT! YOU FELLOWS NEVER STOOD A CHANCE AT CATCHING US!” Blinky yells with a smug smirk, shaking two of his many fists.

“Follow,” AAARRRGH points out.

Claire nods in agreement from her place at the wheel. “AAARRRGH is right. The Arcadia navy and my parents are sure to send word out and follow us somehow. It’s only a matter of time before we’re cornered by them and their allies.”

Toby rubs his chin in thought. “Alright, so we’ve got the richest folks in town chasing us because we sorta kidnapped their daughter-”

“I would hardly say we kidnapped Claire,” Jim interrupts. He puts his hands on his hips and looks up almost fondly at the young woman in question. “She practically blackmailed us into making sure she came along.”

Her lips pull up into a smirk. “I did blackmail you. And it was totally worth it. Now I’m on a quest to find a magical artifact that hasn’t been seen in centuries! This is so much more exciting than my studies!”

“Ah, yes, it is quite the adventure!” Blinky says with a smile. He and AAARRRGH wander over to where the two young men are standing, forming a half circle on the deck below Claire. “But we must not forget the dangers ahead! There is a reason we’re going after the amulet, after all. Not a trace of it has surfaced in ages. For it to seek out a new champion means a great threat is on its way.”

“Not to mention,” Toby adds, “we have an entire armada after us now, and if they catch us, we’ll likely be hanged for treason and witchcraft.” He frowns. “Yeah, you know, this may not be such a great adventure after all…”

Jim groans and hangs his head, shoulders slumping. “Thank you for that reminder, Toby. We really needed that.”

“Anytime, bro,” Toby says, clapping him on the back encouragingly. AAARRRGH does the same and nearly makes Jim fall over.

Claire leans on the wheel in front of her and tucks strands of her dark hair behind her ear. “Well, there is a bright side to this all. We’ve got at least a two day head start from the armada, since it’s going to take at least that long for them repair some of their ships and rally the first of their allies.”

“Very true, Miss Nuñez!” Blinky claps his hands. Despite the grim facts that have been brought to attention, the troll still seems in a good mood. If Jim has to guess, it’s probably because Blinky is still feeling some of the adrenalin from their escape.

“Not to mention, Mister Jim’s dreams have already given us a glue to wear the amulet is hidden!” Blinky continues. He turns towards the boy in question. “Isn’t that right?”

Jim blinks in surprise from the sudden attention. “Uh, yeah, I think… I saw a statue? Of a warrior?” He thinks back to the dream from only two nights ago, lowering his gaze. His eyebrows furrow slightly. The silhouette of the figure flashes in his mind’s eye, illuminated by lightning from a storm at sea. “It was wearing a horned helmet. And… and there was a sword. A really big one.”

AAARRRGH smiles widely. “Daylight!”

Jim looks up in confusion. “No, it was night. At least, I think it was-”

“AAARRRGH is not referring to time, young boy,” Blinky explains gently. He’s wearing a grin similar to the larger troll’s. Excitement dances in his six eyes. “The weapon the warrior carries is the Sword of Daylight. The statue you saw was of Deya the Deliverer, one of the amulet’s past holders and one of its greatest wielders.”

“And landmark,” AAARRRGH adds.

“That’s right! The statue itself is a landmark that will assist us in finding the island,” Blinky elaborates. He draws himself up, looking proud. “And, as a troll who pours his time into expanding his knowledge, I believe I know just how to find this statue.”

Claire whoops, excitement lacing the beautiful, joyful sound. Toby’s quick to follow example and cheers. The atmosphere is full of eager anticipation once again. They’ve escaped Arcadia, they have a working ship, and they know how to find their first clue to the amulet’s isle.

Jim’s lips pull up into a grin. “Well then. Let’s go find ourselves a statue.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to scream at or with me, you can find me on Tumblr as [FanaticFangirl2602](https://fanaticfangirl2602.tumblr.com)!


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